


In the Back of your Mind

by Tenebrais



Category: Sleepless Domain (Webcomic)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:46:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27426667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tenebrais/pseuds/Tenebrais
Summary: After her big blow-up at Undine, Cassidy stormed off into the night. Vedika, worried, tries to find her - with unexpected consequences.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	In the Back of your Mind

Vedika was probably worrying too much. Cassidy could be hot-headed, sure, but she wasn't stupid. As bad as things had left off between them – and Vedika knew from experience once Cassidy got that riled up she could stay angry for days – she wasn't going to go letting her guard down. Most likely she just stayed home and sulked, or else met up with her team to take out her anger on some monsters.

Still, Vedika had a bad feeling, and the anxiety was gnawing on her. What if...?

She excused herself to take a short break, and transformed in the break room. She steeled herself. She'd tried something like this, once, in training. HP had gone and hidden somewhere on the campus and Vedika had had to link with her without knowing where she was. It took some time, but it had worked – just about. But that was just in the school. Cassidy could be anywhere in the city. There was a sea of other minds between them, and she didn't even know which direction to look.

This wasn't the time to dwell on the complications. HP would tell her to follow her instincts. Cassidy was her best friend. The person she came to when she needed someone to confide in. The person who came to her when she had to get something off her chest. She _knew_ Cassidy's mind. She just had to find it.

Her mental gaze swept over the city, spiralling out from the hospital like a lighthouse. In her mind's eye she could see everyone – thousands of people sleeping in their homes, their minds just the dimmest glows flickering in their dreams; the small groups of bright lights that were magical girls on patrol, strangers in the crowd; but not the one she was looking for.  
She had to remind herself, she'd never tried this before, just because she couldn't find her didn't mean she wasn't there to be found. She kept searching, fending off intrusive thoughts.  
She was on the verge of giving up and returning to work when she saw her.  
Just for the briefest flash, but the familiarity was like a signal flare. That was her, it was Cassidy. She had to take another minute to look back where she had seen it, and eventually caught it again. Soon enough she could hold her mental gaze on her – though it wasn't easy.

She was so far away. She found her, out there somewhere, but could she make a connection?

There was nothing for it but to try. It was a strain, and she could feel her power burning to stretch such a distance. But she felt the link, and could see Cassidy's thoughts bubbling – barely. The distance made a big difference, and she could barely make anything out. She was obviously alive, but was she okay? Was she outside? Was she with her team? Was she staying safe?  
“Cassidy?” Vedika asked, and pitched the thought toward her friend. But it fizzled out over the distance, and Cassidy heard nothing.  
She strained to form a stronger link, and thought at her again. Her message might have made contact this time – but it didn't seem to register. There was no shift to the pattern of Cassidy's thoughts. Trying to contact her wasn't working, but Vedika could just about make out some of what she was thinking.  
“Who's there?” Cassidy thought. Had she met someone?  
“Laughing at _me_?” came another thought, which quickly boiled over into anger. Followed, then by a flash of panic.  
“Stuck!” Came the next thought. Then “Maybe if I...”

Then things got hazy. Cassidy must have used her power. Vedika had tried connecting with Cassidy while she was split several times in the past, but it was very hard to hold her focus on both copies. It was like trying to watch two things at once with one eye closed. At this distance it was easier, but their competing thoughts blurred together. She couldn't much track what Cassidy was thinking any more, until she saw a wave of "Undine" thoughts ripple across her minds.  
Had she run into the two of them? But no, that didn't sound right with what she had just heard before.

And then came the scream.

Every thought in Cassidy's head aligned in a mix of terrified shriek and furious roar. And it got louder and louder, almost as if she was getting closer.  
“Cassidy!” Vedika cried out, as the scream petered out.  
“...Vedika?” rang Cassidy's thought in her head.  
“Cassidy, you can hear me! What happened!” Vedika thought to her.  
“I don't know! Both of my copies were destroyed at the same time and... now I'm... how did I get here? I... oh Founder, I can't move!”  
It was hard to tell what was Cassidy talking to her and what was her thinking to herself. Her thoughts were so clear now. All that distance didn't seem to matter any more.  
“Where are you?” Vedika thought.  
“I'm in... some sort of room? Just a regular room. Like a waiting room or a break room or something. I'm sitting down but I can't move at all.”  
“A waiting room?” Vedika thought. She looked around the room she was in.  
“Aaah!” Cassidy shrieked. “My head just moved!”  
“Wait...” Vedika raised her hand and looked at it. “Do you see that?”  
“That's... not my hand...” Cassidy thought. “What the hell happened?”  
“Cassidy... I think you died out there. I'm so sorry, I... I tried to contact you, to make sure you were okay, and then you... Cassidy, I think you're in here with me.”

Cassidy was quiet for a moment.

“Oh,” she said, finally. “So I guess you saved me, huh?”  
“I don't know if I did! You're stuck in my head! And what happens when I untransform? If my powers are all that's keeping you here then you'll... you'll...”  
“Try it then.”  
“What?”  
“Try it! You've got to transform out eventually, right?”  
“But you could die!”  
“Vedika, I've died more times than I can count. I can take it. Untransform.”  
“Well... if you're sure...”

Vedika held her breath. She dismissed her power, like she always did after training, but now trying desperately not to kill her friend in the process.  
It was very, very quiet.  
“Cassidy?” she thought in a panic.  
“I'm here!” Cassidy said in her head. “I'm here, it's fine.”  
Vedika breathed a sigh of relief. “I'm glad you're not gone, then.”  
“You can't get rid of me that easily,” Cassidy said in a smug tone. “Hey, do you think you can take the rest of the night off? I think we've got some stuff to figure out.”


End file.
